Hoping there’s crow on the menu this winter: The BT 2009 Denver Broncos Season Preview

A NEW OFFENSE

Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, left, jokes with running back LaMont Jordan during practice at the NFL football team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

One of the more overlooked changes on offense that has only gotten attention recently is the switch in the team’s running game. The vaunted Broncos zone blocking scheme – the originators of this run-happy offense now employed by a dozen or so teams around the league – is no longer exclusively the team’s ground game bread and butter. They’ve added the New England power blocking scheme to the team’s repertoire, and in the preseason the results have been poor.

Will the Broncos’ decade-long dynamic ground game finally be grounded?

The addition of rookie Knowshon Moreno will certainly help offset these growing pains, but to what extent? If the offensive line isn’t opening the holes, it doesn’t matter who is receiving the handoff; they’re not going to get anywhere.

2009 Outlook: I really question this move by Josh McDaniels. Why fix what isn’t broken? Even after placing seven running backs on Injured Reserve in 2008, the Broncos still led the league in rushing average with over five yards per rush. The current system worked. Complicating things was a bad move.

I think the team will hit its groove later in the season with some early struggles. Combined with a lackluster passing game, I see opponents stacking eight in the box and daring Kyle Orton to beat them in the air. I don’t see it happening.

In 2008, the Broncos chewed up a ton of yards but didn’t convert those yards into points. In 2009, McDaniels has risked losing both by stirring the pot. We’ll have to wait and see if his gamble pays off.

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